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Problem Solving March 2001 • Vol.7 Issue 3 Page(s) 11-15 in print issue	Add To My Personal Library
Get It Back Make Data Backups Quick & Easy

Computers have become such commonplace devices in our lives that we take them for granted. We don't realize how much we have stored in those little boxes on our desks. Instead, we just keep entering and saving more data—a few bookmarks, some more contacts, another Word document, and, of course, more e-mail messages. This data storage process is wonderfully simple; you just enter information and save it in a file. Then, when you want to access the data the next time, you just find the file and open it.

Well, this is all good until that one fateful day when a virus wipes out your hard drive, your computer room floods, or your notebook is stolen while you are at the airport. Now what do you do? All that time and effort was for nothing.

If this scenario frightens you, it should, especially if you don't back up your electronic data. Having a recent backup determines if one of these scenarios is a minor hassle or a major catastrophe.

If you ask computer users why they do not make backups, you get a range of answers, but they all boil down to backups taking too long and requiring the user to be available to swap tapes or discs. With modern hard drives exceeding 20GB in size and home backup media nowhere close to that capacity, it is easy to see why the lack of backup capacity is such an issue. Imagine trying to back up 20GB of data to 100MB Zip disks, 680MB CD-Rs (CD-recordable), or even 4GB tapes. Clearly, you need a better strategy.

Well, we are here to show you a few tricks you can use until removable media can hold more data. We will help you configure your personal computer and plan your backups so you completely protect your data from any disaster. In addition, we will show you how to set up the backups so they automatically run and take only a few minutes a day.

What To Back Up. The key to streamlining your backups is the simple realization that not everything on your hard drive needs the same level of protection. In fact, you don't ever need to back up most of the files. In general, the files on your hard drive fall into four categories: programs, configuration files, data, and static data. The main point of an effective backup strategy is how you back up the items in each of these categories.

Programs. This category includes Windows, Office, and any other applications, including shareware and freeware. If you have a legal copy of a proprietary application (privately created, owned, and copyrighted software such as Microsoft's Windows 98), you have the CD-ROM on which you purchased the software. (If the software came with your personal computer, then you should have received the CD-ROMs with your computer.) Once installed, software files do not change unless you install a patch or update. If software is lost or damaged, you can restore it from the distribution disc or diskette (and then download and install any updates or patches.)

For this reason, you do not need to back up commercial (bought) software. In fact, trying to restore commercial software from a backup may be more difficult, time consuming, and error prone than doing a fresh install from the distribution disc. Many backup programs will require you to have Windows running and their software installed before performing a restore so you may not be able to restore the Windows operating system from a backup anyway.

The only exception to the program rule has to do with freeware and shareware: You should always back up these types of applications. Because you may not have a diskette containing the software, you may want to copy the installation file onto a CD or diskette. This will save you from having to find and download the file again if you need to restore it to your system.

Configuration files. Configuration files are the files that programs create to store their settings, or other files you create to customize your personal computer. If you have changed the settings on the Windows Start menu, Windows stores that information somewhere, either in a configuration file or the Registry (a database that contains information about user preferences and system configuration). The same is true for changes you have made to Word, Excel, Netscape, or any other software you use. Being able to restore this information is nice but not essential.

Data. This is the reason you have a computer. This is your financial records, letters, resume, e-mail messages, presentations, databases, and other files you have created and modified. Data represents your work at the computer. You want frequent backups of your data so nothing gets lost. Daily backups are best, especially if you frequently use your computer. For less frequent users, weekly backups may be acceptable.

Static data. This category contains the sound and video files you download or create. They differ from regular data because once you create or download them, you probably won't modify them. For example, once you rip or download an audio file, you are just going to play the song. That is, the data file itself will remain unchanged. With downloaded video, you usually watch it unmodified. You may modify video you create initially, but after the modification, you usually just watch it. In other words, you only need to back up static data once, when you acquire or create it. Even then, you only need to back up the new or changed files, not all of them.

Backup NOW! can write your backups to multiple CDs, and it can compress your data.

The approach. So, our basic approach to backups is to:

• Never back up programs and configuration files or to make a backup only when you install a new program.

• Make a backup of static data only when that data is changed and, even then, only the data that changes.

• Make frequent backups of data files.

The problem with this approach is these four types of files are mixed up together on your hard drive. Specifying a data backup that gets all your data files is a complex task.

Hard Drive Structure. There is one easy way to make specifying what you want to back up easier: partition. A partition is a reserved portion of the hard drive or memory that functions as a separate unit. When you partition your hard drive, you divide it up into smaller units. A partition acts as a separate space, but physically it is still part of the whole disk. This is a way to make the hard drive more efficient, and it makes it easier for you to perform your backups.

Imagine how easy it would be to back up all your data files if they were on a separate drive from your programs and configuration files. You could just tell your backup program to back up everything on the one drive. Well, you can do this. You could configure your system so all your programs and configuration files are on the C: drive with Windows. All your data files would be on the D: drive.

To do this, you don't need to have three physical hard drives; you just need to partition your hard drive. After partitioning, your system will treat the single hard drive as if it were two or more hard drives.

Unfortunately, to partition a hard drive using Windows FDISK application, you must erase the hard drive. However, programs such as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic can easily partition your hard drive with no loss of data. (NOTE: For more information on PartitionMagic, see the "It's Magic" sidebar.) However, you should always back up your critical data before you make any major change to your system.

Although you can partition your single hard drive into three logical drives with PartitionMagic (or even FDISK, if you must), you should strongly consider leaving your main drive for just programs and purchasing a second hard drive to be partitioned for both data and static data if you are a serious computer user. Hard drives are inexpensive and easy to install. Having all your data and static data on a separate physical hard drive makes it a snap to move that drive to a new computer if your present computer fails or when you upgrade to a new computer. It also lets you pull the data out of the computer before you have it serviced by a professional. This both preserves your data and provides additional security.

Readers with newer computers should especially consider adding a new hard drive. Most vendors have stopped shipping a Windows CD-ROM with new computers. Instead, you get a CD that essentially erases the entire hard drive and resets it to the factory settings. If your data is on that hard drive, it too is erased. With the data on a second physical drive, it is untouched when the main drive is reset.

Make the backup process extremely easy; schedule Backup Exec to automatically back up your system at night.

Backup Types. One you have your partitions set up, if you want them, you need to decide what type of backups you want to perform: full or incremental. A full backup copies every file you specify to the backup media; an incremental backup looks at all the files you specify but only backs up those that have changed since the last backup. A full backup takes longer and requires more space but makes restoring data easier. When you are in a hurry or having enough media space is an issue, an incremental backup's ability to grab just recently changed files means the backup quickly skips over files that have not changed since the last backup.

Backups are also categorized by where you store them. If you keep the backup media in the same location as the computer, it is called an on-site backup. When you store the backup somewhere else, it is an off-site backup. Having the media on-site makes it easy to recover an accidentally erased file or to recover from a virus, but this does not protect it from theft or disaster because the backup media would also be stolen or damaged. Most people who feel strongly about backups choose to keep some media on-site for local emergencies and some media off-site to protect against disasters.

Rather than having one set of media, many users choose to have several sets of backup media. They make a backup to the first, then the second, and so on. Once they reach the last set of media, they start over with the first one. This is a rolling backup. Having multiple backups protects you against the chance that your backup media might be damaged, and you can't restore data from it. It also lets you go back to an earlier version of a data file if it is required.

Backup Media. Once you know what type of backup you want to perform, you need to decide which type of media you want to use. The most common types are removable media such as Zip disks, CD-Rs and CD-RWs, and tapes. Another newer option is to store your backups online.

Zip disks. An Iomega Zip disk (800-69-7883; 888-446-6342; http://www.iomega.com), or similar removable media, such as an Iomega Jaz disk, is usually your fastest alternative for a backup. To back up to a Zip disk, you'll need to have a Zip drive (external and internal drives cost between $100 and $200) and use a compression program, if you want to save as much data as possible to one disk. You can use a program such as WinZip ($29; http://www.winzip.com) or PKZIP ($39.95 CD, $34 electronic; 414/354-8699; http://www.pkware.com) to compress the data. Although WinZip or any other zip program can make this backup, the best one to use is the command line version of PKZIP because you can control it using a batch file.

The main drawback is the limited capacity of these disks. For this reason, a Zip disk is viable only for data backups. However, most users will find that all their data will compress onto a single Zip disk because data is easy to compress. A secondary drawback is cost. A 100MB Zip disk holds one-seventh the amount of data that a CD-R can hold and at 10 times the cost. (A 100MB disk costs about $11.) It is even more expensive relative to tape. A 250MB disk costs $19.95.

CDs. A CD-R holds 680MB of data uncompressed, so it will hold much more than a Zip disk. Blank CDs cost about 50 cents so you can easily afford to make daily backups. In addition, because any computer with a CD drive can read these files, CDs are the most universal form of a backup. Stray magnetic signals can't damage CDs the way they can tapes, and they last much longer than tapes. The main drawbacks are you can't use the computer for other tasks while authoring any CD, and writing to the CD is slow.

If you don't need to compress your files during a backup, you can create the backup using your standard CD-authoring program. You also may run into another problem. Even though your present software may be adequate for simple backup needs, it is not specifically for creating backups. Your CD software might not work for your backup if you are saving large data files or programs. The reason is that it lacks two important features: compression and the ability to write larger backups across multiple CDs. Writing to multiple CDs or tapes is called spanning.

NewTech Infosystems' Backup NOW! ($79.99; 714/259-9700; http://www.ntius.com) combines the best of a tape backup program with advantages of writing to a CD; it can compress your data and can write out backups that span multiple CDs.

Tapes. Once your backup needs exceed the capacity of a CD, your only real choice is tape. Capacities and speed vary greatly with tapes. If you have an internal tape drive that holds 8GB of compressed data, you can make a backup of your entire system (if it is about 5.5GB in size) in less than two hours on one tape. External parallel port tape drives may hold only 1GB or 2GB, and they take much longer to perform a backup. If the amount of data you need to back up exceeds the capacity of your tape, the backup stops until you swap the full tape for an empty tape.

If you want to save your data backup jobs to something other than a bunch of diskettes, try another form of removable media, such as Iomega Jaz disks, which hold more data.

Most tape drives come with some type of limited backup software. For more features, you can purchase a commercial program. Often, these programs will also work with Zip disks and CD-R/RWs. One good commercial backup program is Veritas Software's Backup Excel Desktop 4.5 ($79; 888/732-2021; http://www.veritas.com). You can even use this program to schedule backups to run at night unattended (as long as the backup does not exceed the capacity of your tape). In addition to tapes, Backup Exec supports CDs, Zip drives, and most other removable media.

Online. A fourth approach to backup media is to back up across the Internet to one of the online storage services that are available. Because most of these Web sites offer only 10MB to 20MB for free, most users will be able to use these Web sites only to back up their most critical files. Due to the amount of data you will be sending across the Internet, for this to be a viable method, you must have a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or cable connection. A few of your free options include: Driveway (25MB free; http://www.driveway.com), File Monkey, (10MB free; http://www.filemonkey.com), i-drive.com (50MB free; http://www.idrive.com), and My Docs Online (20MB free; http://www.mydocsonline.com).

A Backup Bonanza. As the amount of data that hard drives can hold has grown, so has the amount of data that users store. This makes backups more critical and difficult than ever. Fortunately, Zip, CD-R, and tape drives and media give users inexpensive backup options. When combined with an intelligent plan for segregating files by type, backups remain the best approach to data protection.

by Ronny Richardson

It's Magic

The PartitionMagic application is easier to use than Windows' FDISK program for partitioning your hard drive.

Using the tools native to the DOS and Windows operating systems, partitioning your hard drive is a long and tedious process that requires you to destroy the entire contents of your hard drive and start over with a blank drive. Most users avoid the advantages that partitioning brings because the process of creating those partitions is so difficult.

PowerQuest's PartitionMagic software ($69.95; 800/379-2566, 801/437-8900; http://www.powerquest.com) overcomes all the problems with creating and managing partitions. To create a new partition or resize an existing one,using this application, you simply run the program and tell it what size to make each of the partitions. It then goes off and makes the adjustments without any loss of data.

If you are not sure if you need 100MB or 200MB for data, just take your best guess and do not worry about it. If you guess wrong, you can easily make an adjustment later without any loss of data. If you are going to keep an orderly arrangement of files on your hard drive, Power-Quest's PartitionMagic is an essential tool.

A Simple Solution

In Windows 98 and Me, you can easily back up your data files using the Microsoft Backup application that comes with either operating system.

If you want a cheap way to protect your data, look at the Microsoft Backup application. This program comes in Windows 95 and 98 (Win9x), and it is included on the Windows Me installation CD-ROM. This program is adequate for making simple backups to common backup devices.

To access Backup in Win9x, click the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then Backup. In WinMe, you first need to install the application from the installation CD-ROM. After you insert the CD, click the Browse This CD link. Then, double-click the ADD-ONS folder and then the MSBACKUP folder. From there, double-click the Msbexp.exe file. Once you install Backup and restart your computer (you'll be prompted by the computer to do so), you're ready to start. To begin, click the Start button, Accessories, System Tools, and then Backup.

Windows 98 & Me

When Microsoft Backup opens in Win98 or WinMe, you will see two windows. The active one is the Backup Wizard. Select the Create A New Backup Job radio button and click the OK button.

On the next screen of the Backup Wizard, choose what you want to back up. Starting small, choose the Back Up Selected Files, Folders And Drives radio button from the Backup wizard, and click the Next button. Now you simply check the boxes next to the files you want to back up. If you click the box beside a folder, it will back up the entire contents of that folder. To view a folder within a folder, click the small plus sign to expand the folder. Then, to select only certain files, highlight a folder and then check the items you want to back up on the left side of the screen. Once you finish, click the Next button.

On the What To Back Up screen, choose whether to back up the entire contents of the folders and files you selected or just the elements that have changed (since your last backup) or that are new. Click Next. At the next screen, decide where you want to store these files. Use the drop-down menus to select where you want the files stored.

On the How To Back Up screen, decide if you want to run a double-check that Backup copied everything correctly, and if you want to compress the files to save space. Click the Next button to continue. Make a final check that everything is set as you want it and name your backup job. Then, click Start to begin the backup. ( NOTE: Backup may ask you for a Media Name. It suggests you call it the job name followed by a number, but you can name it whatever you want.)

Windows 95

When Backup opens in Win95, you will see the Welcome To Microsoft Backup screen. Click OK to move to the next screen, which will tell you Backup has created a file set you must use if you are doing a full backup. Because we are going to do only a partial backup, ignore this box and click OK.

From the Settings menu, click Options. Click the Backup tab and choose the Full or incremental radio button. Click OK. Back in the main Backup window, select the files you want to back up. (This works the same in Win95 as in does in Win98, so see the above instructions.)

After you make your selections, click the Next Step button. Select a destination for the backup and then click Start Backup.

Keep Going

It would be nice if you could automate Backup, but as it is, you have to tell it to back up every time you want the job done. Still, it's as simple as choosing Microsoft Backup from the System Tools in the Start menu and telling it to run an existing job. You can create more jobs by repeating the steps explained above. To modify a job, select it, and you can alter your selections.

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